"I had to miss online lessons because my laptop was too slow or would not even turn on. I felt very frustrated because I could see how much my classmates enjoyed online classes while I couldn't even hear my teacher's voice," said Jaron, 11.On Tuesday , he received a new laptop. He is among 30 The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund beneficiaries who received the tech tool from security services company Certis under its Gift a Laptop initiative.
"Now, it'll be easier to do research on my own when I don't understand a concept I learnt in class," said Jaron, a Queenstown Primary School pupil who lives in a two-room rental flat in Bukit Merah and has a 25-year-old sister with special needs. "I can even learn how to code and design websites. It is something I have been wanting to do from three years ago."
Mr Paul Chong, Certis president and group chief executive, said:"Digital and online learning have now become a mainstay for students since the pandemic. "Through this Gift a Laptop initiative, we aim to help needy students to have the tools they need for greater digital learning by developing their digital skills."Amid the pandemic, the fund, which was started in 2000, disbursed $6.8 million to 10,000 beneficiaries in 2020 and $8.8 million to 12,400 beneficiaries in 2021. The $8.8 million is the highest amount given out so far.